‘Iria: Zeiram – The Animation’ Anime Review- A 90s Sci-Fi Throwback

This is a prequel to a Japanese sci-fi flick.

Iria: Zeiram — The Animation is a 1994 six-part science fiction anime from Ashi Productions. The series is a prequel to the 1991 Japanese sci-fi film Zeiram. As of this review, I have not seen it, so I will focus on the anime.

Iria (Stacie Renna) is being trained to be a bounty hunter by her brother Gren (Christopher Nicholas Yates) and his partner Bob (Gary Suson). They are tasked with getting aboard the spaceship Karma to recover important cargo after the ship. When the trio gets on board, they realize the vessel has been taken over by the cargo, a powerful and destructive alien called Zeiram. Bob is killed and Gren sacrifices himself to save Iria. This sends her on a path of vengeance, vowing to stop Zeiram as it rampages from planet to planet.

This is one of the best pieces of nineties sci-fi anime that I have stumbled on. I did not know what to expect, but it exceeded those expectations. Was it perfect? No. The animation was a bit stiff and dizzying at times, but the character designs and scenery was drawn very well. It made the world seem unique compared to other science fiction animated shows.

Iria is a cool protagonist you cheer for as she seeks revenge for her brother’s death. She makes allies, enemies, and everything in between as she searches for a way to stop a seemingly unstoppable foe. There were a few times she felt emotionally stunted, but she was still cool and had a lot of depth.

The dub was okay. Renna does an excellent job as Iria and truly brings out the character. Otherwise, some of the side characters seemed to not know that were dubbing a Japanese anime. That made for a couple of laughs in wording or expression, but otherwise, the main cast kept it solid.

Outside of that, I appreciated the horror elements woven into the story with alien monsters that defy all sense. I had a good time navigating this retro tale for its unique take on the genre and for the protagonist’s story arc.

Check out the trailer below:

PARENTAL CONCERNS: Minor foul language, Violence, Some disturbing sequences

This review is based on the dub from National Sound.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Tell me if there is a comic book, movie, anime, or novel you would like me to review.